Apple Inc. May Launch Original Programming With iPhone 7 In Late 2016

The next fully redesigned iPhone could find itself launching alongside some television shows made exclusively for Apple in the second half of 2016. Apple is in talks with a number of Hollywood studios and TV producers to bring original programming to its iTunes and iOS customers, according to unnamed sources speaking to the Street.

One of the plans on the table is having deals in place for Apple to launch its own streaming video service in September, around the same time it may unveil an "iPhone 7." But so far no deals have been signed.

It’s not the first time Apple has tried to seal deals with studios. In August 2015, it held preliminary meetings with Hollywood executives to at least explore the idea of original programming, according to Variety.

With iPhone sales expected to decline for the first the time in the quarter ending Mar. 26, Apple has increasingly looked to services to bolster its revenue, such as the Apple Pay mobile payment system, Apple Music streaming and iCloud.

Apple in 2015 was originally expected to launch its own live streaming television service, which would bundle a set of channels for around $30 per month. But the launch got pushed back several times. Apple in September instead unveiled a revamped Apple TV set-top box, without streaming service. But in December it decided to suspend its plans to pursue the streaming service, according to Bloomberg.

Original programming is a hot battleground for a number of companies that are looking to bolster their online streaming offerings and differentiate themselves from rivals. Netflix was an early pioneer of original video streaming when it forked over $100 million to produce two seasons of “House of Cards.”

Amazon followed with several of its own shows, such as “Mad Dogs and “Mozart in the Jungle.” At the Sundance Film Festival, which runs through the end of January, Amazon and Netflix have snatched up streaming rights to films such as “Tallulah” and “Manchester by the Sea.”